


A Conversation (about Our Last Summer)

by Leo_Toast



Series: Songs that remind me of Remus Lupin and/or Sirius Black [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Sorry, Remus volunteers (and basically forces Dumbledore) to take care of Harry, Sirius dies with James and Lily, as a treat, maybe a little comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29452464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leo_Toast/pseuds/Leo_Toast
Summary: Remus was looking for school supplies for Harry when he found a picture album that read 'Summer 1978.' The memories of him and Sirius came flooding back, both the good and the bad.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Songs that remind me of Remus Lupin and/or Sirius Black [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164101
Kudos: 13





	A Conversation (about Our Last Summer)

**Author's Note:**

> I was cooking and listening to music when A Conversation from Mary Poppins Returns and thought that his voice sounded a lot like Remus, so I decided to make this. I also had listened to Our Last Summer from Mamma Mia and wanted a cute Harry/Remus bonding moment over Sirius. Enjoy crying ig, I'm sorry in advance.
> 
> A Conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl-Qf1hFO08  
> Our Last Summer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whi2E5Kt2k8

It all started with Remus looking for leftover school supplies for Harry's first year at Hogwarts. He was rummaging through his old school trunk looking for some old robes when he found an old photo album labeled 'Summer 1978.'

Remus had forgotten about this. The marauders had gone traveling across Europe as a last-ditch effort to have fun before they all joined the Order and the war effort. 

Remus slumped against the wall, tears forming in his eyes. It was the last time he had seen James, Lily, and Sirius effortlessly happy. The war had broken all of them, and Remus lost his best friends, the love of his life, and was left with the one reminder of everything that happened, and Harry looked more and more like James every day. Harry also got the same mischievous gleam in his eyes that both James and Sirius had when they thought of a new prank. Remus opened the album and stared at the picture on the page. It was a picture of Sirius and Remus in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The picture moved from Remus laughing at something Sirius said, to bending down to kiss him.

"We haven't spoken in so long, Dear," Remus teared up calling Sirius Dear again, "These years have gone by in a blur."

Remus turned the page in the album. It was a picture of Remus, James, and Sirius on the side of the Seine. James and Remus were pretending to throw Sirius off the bridge into the water. "Today seems everything's gone wrong here. I'm looking for the way things were." Remus thinks back to the fights with Harry in the beginning when he had no idea what he was doing. "I know you'd laugh and call me tragic," Remus laughed to himself, thinking of all the playful insults Sirius would call him when he couldn't do something, "For everything's in disarray. These rooms were always full of magic, it's vanished since you went away. You would've been the best godfather, I know." 

The next page has a picture of Sirius and Remus sitting on a picnic blanket in front of the Notre Dame, feeding each other strawberries. Remus was full-on crying now, from remembering both the vacation and that fateful Halloween. "This house has been crowded with questions, and Harry's a walking questionnaire. And I could surely use a few suggestions on how to tame our Godson's hair. I miss our stupid conversations since you went away." 

Remus closed the album and placed it back in the trunk, and walked to the window in the attic. He looked out over the street outside Grimmauld place. The melting snow, the Cherry trees that were still bare, the couples walking the cold London streets. "Winter has gone, but not from this room. The snow's almost left the lane, but the cherry trees forgot to bloom." Remus crossed to the portrait of Sirius when he was 14, hanging in the attic. Out of sight, but never out of mind. "I'll carry on the way you told me, I say that like I have a choice." Remus laughed as tears slid down his face again. "And though you aren't here to hold me In the echoes I can hear your voice. All the memories of the dorm, Europe, and the war bring thoughts of you. not a day goes by that I don't think of you, but still, one question fills my day Dear," He brushed his hand over the young boy's face, the boy that Remus had loved more than anything. At least, more than anything until Harry came along. "The answer I most longed to know each moment since you went away, Dear. My question, Sirius, is 'Where'd you go?'" Hearing the wood floor of the attic creaking, Remus whipped around, frantically drying his tears to see Harry looking at the photo album on top of the trunk.

Harry picked up the album and stared at the painting quizzically. "Who's that?" Harry asked timidly, almost like he didn't want to upset Remus more.

Remus sat on an old dusty couch that had been up there who knows how long and motioned for Harry to sit with him. "Did I ever tell you about your Uncle Sirius?" Remus set the album on his knees as Harry shook his head. "Right then, here is the story of your Uncle Sirius, though you most likely would have called him Padfoot. He was a wizard, just like you, and me, and your mum and dad. Sirius, your dad, and I were best friends throughout Hogwarts; we met on the train in first year. We called ourselves the Marauders." Harry was watching Remus attentively, eager to hear more about his parents. "Your mum and dad met at Hogwarts, too, but they didn't get married and have you until after we graduated. Your dad and Sirius got along like a house on fire. They were basically joined at the hip. They were both mischievous and got in trouble a lot for pulling pranks around school." 

"Did you help them?" Harry asked, eyes sparkling. Remus laughed, "I may have helped them from time to time." Harry looked astonished that Remus had ever gotten in trouble in his life. "Either way, while we were at school, a war started because someone very bad wanted muggle-borns and half-bloods like your mum gone-"

"Why?" Harry looked sad to hear about what Voldemort had done. "Well," Remus started, quickly deciding how to tell a child what had happened, "Some people, like this bad man, thought that the more purely wizard your bloodline was, the better you were. A lot of other people agreed with him too-obviously not your dad, or Sirius, or me; but some bad people. We fought them after we graduated, but this photo album," He opened the book to the Eiffel tower picture, and Harry looked at him like he was piecing something together, "was the summer before we joined the war. I loved Sirius more than anything, but then you came along, and you and him tied for first in my heart."

Remus pointed at the picture. "I can still recall our last summer, I still see it all," He turned the page to the next picture, "Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain. Our last summer, memories that remain. That one there-" Remus pointed to James in the photo, "is your dad. He was one of the bravest and kind people I knew." Remus turned the page again to the picture of the picnic, "I can still recall our last summer, I still see it all. In the tourist jam, 'round the Notre Dame. Our last summer, walking hand in hand."

Remus flips the page to see a picture of Lily and James sitting at a French Restaurant, fighting over a croissant. "Paris restaurants, morning croissants, living for the day; worries far away, that we could laugh and play." Harry points to James as he says, "That's my dad? he looks like me." Harry was smiling to himself over the fact that he looked like his father. "Yeah, that's your dad alright," Remus moved Harry's finger over to Lily, "and that's your mum. You have her eyes, you know? and her temperament, thank Merlin. I don't think I could have dealt with  **two** Jameses." Harry giggled and flipped the page, looking at a picture of the four of them in front of the Eiffel tower; Lily smiling and looking proper, while James and Sirius made faces and Remus had his face in his hands.

"That was the last of our days in Paris. We made our way along the river and we sat down in the grass by the Eiffel tower. I was so happy we had met. It was the age of no regret." Remus closed the album and set it next to him on the couch. He took a deep breath and said, "Your mum and dad and Sirius died protecting you. The bad man tried to hurt you, but the love that the three of them had for you protected you from the curse that the bad man tried to use on you. It backfired on him, and that's why you have that scar." Harry started crying, and Remus put his arm around Harry, "I know it's sad to think about, but I can tell you that they loved you more than anything, and would've done anything to see you happy." Harry sniffled and nodded, and asked in a small voice, "Can we have tea now? And can you show me more pictures of you and Siri-Padfoot? and my dad and mum?" Remus smiled and knew that if Sirius was watching them, he would be too. "Sure, how about you go downstairs and put the kettle on, and I'll gather some more albums?"

Harry bounded out the door and down the stairs, eager to learn more. Remus chuckled, and murmured, "I'm glad he takes after both of you, I'll take good care of him," and began to follow Harry downstairs.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry.  
> I know I took most of this directly from the songs, but they were so perfect and I needed this  
> If I think of more pictures or songs that would be good in this setting I'll add to the series


End file.
